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Zachary Dwyer

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PEPIN, Wis. — Opportunities can come out of the most unlikely of places. In Pepin, it looks to be out with the crops and in with the flowers. Tom Brockman of Afton, Minn., is in converting his Lucky Dog Farm from growing crops into planting about 135 acres of flowers. The Conservation Reserve Program or CRP is working with Brockman to convert his 150-acre Pepin farm into a place to grow perennial flowers.

STOCKHOLM, Wis. — Camp Pepin is well known as a destination for summer campers. But a new camp director is looking to use his 25 years of experience to raise the camp to new heights. Steve Heiny started his new position under the auspices of Red Wing Family YMCA in December. It may be his first time working in Wisconsin, but he spent 12 years as an executive director for summer camps in Detroit and Indianapolis. "I was going to be a teacher, but I did this in the summer until I found a 'real' job and I've stayed ever since," Heiny said.

A new program is attempting to help visitors and citizens connect to the outdoors and gain a deeper appreciation of their communities in Red Wing. Erin Aadalen and Anna Sills are the two-member team that makes up the Park Naturalists program. The program now enters its second year, after Aadalen helped launch it the winter of 2016 Sills has served as a naturalist last summer.

Al's Antique Mall will close its doors for the final time on July 31, after 11 years at the current property and 27 years in the business. The always-growing stop for antiques and collectibles has reached the end of the line as a fixture in the popular antique scene in Red Wing. "The concept was to have it like a museum," Cathy Novak, owner of Al's Antique Mall along with husband Alan Novak, said. "Business has been good, but we're getting old."

The annual Red Wing Collectors Society commemorative went back to the future this year for the 40th anniversary of the society's foundation. The unveiling was at Minnesota State College Southeast on Thursday, July 6. Doors opened at 8 a.m. and saw a steady stream of society members coming to purchase their exclusive commemoratives.

A short chase Sunday, June 25, in Red Wing left one bystander injured and the driver at large after escaping custody on the way to the Goodhue County Adult Detention Center, according to authorities. Taner J. Sward, 25, of Zumbrota, was taken into custody after allegedly fleeing law enforcement for driving with a revoked license and crashing into a parked truck, injuring the driver.

Five local students will have the opportunity of a lifetime in July to travel to Ikata, Japan, for the annual student exchange program. Gretchen Anderson, a retired elementary music teacher who taught in Red Wing for decades, will chaperone the teenagers on their two-week trip. She believes the cultural experience will be far different from what the kids have experienced in the United States. "Learning to navigate the food and bathroom experience will be quite different. It will be about tolerance and trying new things," Anderson said.

The Red Wing Area Manufacturers Association has elected new leadership, with Bill Simmons of ADM becoming president and Justin Neufeldt of Neufeldt Industrial Services taking the role of vice president. The group has members from all over the region, including Cannon Falls, Lake City, Red Wing and other surrounding cities. The roughly 50 active members represent about 35 to 40 different businesses, according to Simmons. "The focus of the group is exposure. We offer tours, have speakers come in and promote not just businesses but manufacturing in general," Simmons said.

The Adopt-a-Park program, a joint effort between Red Wing's Public Works office and the United Way, is aiming at increasing support for the city's parks system. The project began in May 2015 as part of the larger Get Connected online system. Get Connected is an effort by the United Way to allow for more community volunteers to match their interests and multiple needs to projects in Red Wing. Tammie Dougherty, office manager for the Public Works Department, thinks the technology will be able to simplify the volunteer process.

HAGER CITY — There are situations in life that make people question why now or why me. In the case of 10-year-old Ethan Hedeen, it begs the question why so soon. Ethan died unexpectedly March 26 due to complications from an undiagnosed intestinal problem caused by Meckel's diverticulum. Meckel's is a congenital health issue that usually shows symptoms in the first few years of a child's life.